Clackamas United Church of Christ A Just Peace Congregation May 2015 Newsletter Pastor’s Note Dr. Mira Rizeq, National General Secretary of the YWCA of Palestine, Coming to Clackamas United Church of Christ Wednesday, May 6 The CPC Wider Church Ministries Team is pleased to announce that Dr. Mira Rizeq, the National General Secretary of YWCA of Palestine, is coming to Portland May 6-8. YWCA of Palestine is an umbrella organization that consists of the YWCAs of Jerusalem, Ramallah, Jericho, and Bethlehem. Dr. Rizeq works closely with Rev. Loren McGrail, our Global Ministries missionary living in Jerusalem. WCM Team is pursuing a global partner relationship between the Central Pacific Conference of the UCC and YWCA of Palestine. We have planned two events, one on the east side of Port-and and one on the west side to try to provide opportunities for as many clergy and lay people as possible to meet Dr. Rizeq and hear first-hand about her experience living and working in Palestine. The first event will take place Wednesday evening, May 6 at our church, from 6:00 to 8:30 PM. Dinner is provided. Everyone is welcome! Please RSVP to Rev. Denise. The second event will be at Bethel Congregational UCC in Beaverton the following evening, May 7 from 6:00 to 8:30 PM. This will be a potluck dinner followed by the presentation from Dr. Rizeq. Bethel is located at 5150 SW Watson St. RSVP 503646-119. Dr. Rizeq’s visit is a great opportunity to meet and get to know the director of one of our global partner agencies in Palestine. The story of her life and work amidst the ongoing struggles in Israel will prove invaluable to all who wish to have a better understanding of this land that we revere as the Holy Land. I hope that you can join us for dinner and meaningful conversation. Blessings, Rev. Denise At our last Congregational Meeting, a capital campaign was approved in the amount of $40,000. So far nearly $6,400 has been raised for these building projects. Have you made your contribution yet? We are hoping that all members will donate to this campaign at whatever level possible. Your church Council would love to see 100% participation in this building campaign. It’s our beautiful church, and we need to work together to keep it in good shape. To make a donation, please designate your contribution “building fund.” The campaign will run through May so we can begin our projects in the spring and summer. Thank you so much for your generous support. Projects Sanctuary Updates Exterior Doors Structural Work around the Stained Glass Clackamas A Just Peace Congregation Clergy: Rev. Denise Andersen (503) 653-3945 [email protected] Cell Phone: 503-351-3615 (for emergencies) Choir Director & Organist: Jean Herrera (503) 654-2449 CHURCH COUNCIL OFFICERS Moderator: Jean Herrera (503) 654-2449 Vice Moderator: Peggy Soliday (503) 305-8824 Clerk: Lori Prouty (503) 522-1034 Treasurer: Jeff Pratt (503) 658-2098 Financial Secretary: Patti Hanson (503) 659-4991 Christian Education Chair: Steve Andersen (5030 653-3945 Youth/Young Adults: Rev. Denise Andersen (503) 653-3945 Trustee Chair: Jim Paulson (503) 631-2765 Deacon’s Chair: Cathy Cooper (503) 653-1298 Justice and Witness: Bill Magorian (503) 653-2917 Staff Relations Chair: Jean Herrera (503) 654-2449 Concerns Keep the following folks in your prayers! Art Buck – Passed away on April 1st Judy Boncaro – recovering from knee surgery. Amy Brinkley – For Continued Healing Elsie Burtard – in Adult Foster Care. Now on hospice care. (Sandy Paulson’s mother.) Jaycob Cooper – in Thailand studying martial arts. Glenn and Jean Camper – for healing and comfort. June Kalb – in an Adult Foster Home with Alzheimer’s. No sweets and no visitors after 5:00 pm, please. Betty Pribil – at Princeton Village Assisted Living. Dwight Richardson – Recovering from a back injury. Millie Sandwick –Recovering from a back & eye injury. Michael Savin – Recovering from eye surgery. Eldon Steiner – Severe back/leg pain issues. Barbara Williams – who is experiencing some health concerns. She has moved to the Villages. Lewis-Wolfram Family – keep them in your prayers. Phyllis Yambos – Prayer for healing. Newsletter Submissions: The Clackamas United Church of Christ Newsletter is open to submissions from members and committees. We welcome information, poetry, photos and art for consideration in this monthly publication. Also – we love to receive member “News” so we can give the appropriate “pat on the back.” Submissions to be considered can be emailed to Denise Andersen at [email protected]. The next Newsletter deadline is May 24th for the June Newsletter. Web Sites to Check out: Clackamas UCC at http://www.c-ucc.org/ UCC National Offices - www.ucc.org Community of Welcoming Congregations welcomingcongregations.org Progressive Christianity http://www.tcpc.org Just Peace http://www.ucc.org/justice/just-peace Joy! Rev. Andersen was very happy to win the 50/50 raffle at Clackamas Women’s Services spring fundraiser. She used her winnings to sponsor a camper at Camp Hope. Mission and Outreach News This Year’s Sponsored Endangered Species - The Mountain Gorilla Have you donated a book yet? New or gently used books are welcome! We are having a children’s book drive for the Clackamas Bookshelf at Clackamas UCC. Please bring books to the church any Sunday in May and drop them in the box in the narthex. We would like to drop these books off by June 1 so that they may be distributed for summer reading. For more information, check out theclackamasbookshelf.org. This is part of the UCC literacy campaign. Clackamas UCC Donates $900 to Our UCC Mozambique Mission Clackamas UCC has raised almost $300 so far for our Mountain Gorilla sponsorship. The baked potato and salad bar luncheon brought in $234. We’ll continue collecting for this amazing creature on God’s planet through the month of May. Just drop your donations in the endangered species jar outside the sanctuary entrance. Thank you!! MOUNTAIN GORILLA FACT FILE: Erik and Kim Free. Kim and Erik Free (From Silverton, OR) serve with the United Church of Christ in Mozambique. They are our Global Ministries missionaries – living in Beira near our headquarters. Their appointment is made possible by our church’s contribution to Our Churches Wider Mission, and your special gifts. UCC water projects are happening in Mozambique. Clackamas UCC is supporting them with $900 for literacy and water programs. In response to hearing this good news, Kim responded: “Wow! That is great. We are going to be doing some special work starting some new garden plots on the farm and getting it ready for the churches youth convention being held there this year. We were able to get the pump for the well working again but only just, it still needs some parts. The money form your campaign will be so helpful as we progress with work in Goigoi and I am hoping to look for the best ways to start addressing the literacy need as they are many. There are no secondary schools in Goigoi and the primary schools struggle with finding available teachers. Thank you so much.” Kim Water for Life 2015 - concluded on Easter Sunday. Thanks to all who gave a total of $783 for water projects in Mozambique. Swahili Name: Scientific Numbers Size: Weight: Lifespan: Habitat: Diet: Gestation: Predators: Gorila or N'gagi Gorilla - gorilla beringei Only 800 in the world Up to 6 feet tall 300 to 425 pounds 53 years in captivity Dense forest, rain forest Vegetarian Vegetarian Leopards, crocodiles, humans Always Collecting These Much Needed Items: USED EYE GLASSES for the Lions Club. CELL PHONES for Clackamas Women’s Services. King’s Cupboard needs our constant support. Thanks for being so good at keeping our food barrel full. Do you have time to share? King’s Cupboard is in need of volunteers. Garden of Hope Annual Fundraiser for King's Cupboard Saturday, May 2 ~ 4:00 – 7:00 $10/Person At King of King’s Lutheran Church 5501 SE Thiessen Rd, in Milwaukie Art Buck & grandson Austin. In Memory of Rev. Z. Arthur Buck Lovingly submitted by Rev. Denise Andersen The Rev. Z Arthur (Art) Buck died peacefully at his assisted living facility on April 1st. Art was quite a character and a spirited presence in the Central Pacific Conference of the UCC. Hailing from the Midwest, Art received his Bachelors in Agriculture – focusing on animal husbandry. He’d often reminded us of this – although we couldn’t quite figure out how he applied this to his ministry. He went on to get his M.Div. from Chicago Theological Seminary. At that time, Art was married to Agneta Nordmark (who is from & now resides in Sweden.) They had two children: Nick (who preceded Art in death) and Sophie (who is a nurse at Kaiser Sunnyside). Arthur was the primary father figure to his three grandsons: Austin, Spencer & Brennan. They grew up within the community of Milwaukie UCC where Art was the pastor. Art had two granddaughters living in Sweden – Maja and Mia. My order could be wrong on these life events (and I welcome any input from folks who know better than I), but Art began his ministry in the Pacific NW as director/chaplain of Portland State University’s Koinonia House where former Conference Minister Gene Ross commented that his work there was unsurpassed. He went on to serve our Condon UCC church and left a lasting impact on that congregation and the Condon community. He served Trinity UCC and helped them deal with their closing with dignity, and the Trinity Fund endowment has supported the budget of the CPCUCC in an ongoing manner. Remaining members of Trinity UCC folded into Milwaukie UCC, where Art became the pastor, and then Milwaukie became Milwaukie Kairos UCC prior to Art’s retirement. An openly gay pastor, Art was active for social justice causes related to issues of HIV/AIDS. He served tirelessly at the HIV Day Center – ministering to clients from counseling to serving meals. He was also involved with “Our House” located in Portland, Oregon - a 24-hour residential care facility for people living with HIV/AIDS. His passion for HIV/Aids outreach lead to the development of the Swan & Madrona Houses on property that once belonged to Milwaukie UCC. Swan House is an Adult Care Home serving persons living with HIV/AIDS. Residents may also be recovering from mental illness, cancer, Hepatitis, alcohol and drug addiction, and receiving help with other health issues. Caregivers are trained in HIV and how the complexities of this chronic illness affect daily living. Other services that are available include: Occupational Therapy, Social Work, and weekly visits from a Nursing Consultant. Madrona House supports up to 4 women and their children in an alcohol and drug free transitional housing environment. In the 90’s, Art directed a CPCUCC sponsored production of Harvey Fierstein’s play “On Tidy Endings” – a sometimes fiercely funny, and finally poignant study of how the universal situation of losing a loved one takes on unique new qualities in the context of AIDS. I played the part of Marion in the production, and we traveled all around the Conference in the Milwaukie UCC bus to perform the production from Medford to Coos Bay to Boise to Vancouver and all parts in between. The one act theatrical production was followed by a local panel of county HIV/Aids community workers who lead Q&As with play attendees. This helped to ease the stigma of HIV/Aids and was informational at a time where HIV/Aids was much misunderstood and feared. In his early 60’s, while working at Milwaukie UCC, Art suffered a heart attack. He called me from his desk saying something was not right. Bypass surgery followed, and Art worked hard to recover while he continued to serve the church. It was heart failure that followed him through the next decades and resulted in his incapacitation and death. Art loved Opera and classical music and collected art here and there when he could pick up an interesting piece. One of his art pieces – Moses and the Burning Bush – is hanging in the narthex of Clackamas UCC. Before Art went into assisted living, he attended Clackamas UCC – often with his rescued greyhound Pattie. He attended “Ladies Aid” (now Women’s Circle) and had lunch with them weekly. They miss his presence. His grandsons grew up attending the Wonder Wednesday progam at our church, and Art often helped chaperone outings. Art was much loved by family, colleagues and friends. His personhood, faithful ministry and sense of humor will be deeply missed. His daughter, Sophie, said that it was just like her father to die on April Fools Day. At Art’s request, there will be no formal memorial service. Colleagues and close friends will have a dinner in his honor where memories will be shared. Fare thee well, Art. Join Us for the Outdoor Work Day on Saturday, May 2nd Beginning at 9:00am We will weed and replant some ailing plants in the hedgerow & rain garden. Clackamas UCC Wins National IPL Recognition Thanks to the following folks who lent a hand at the last work day: Jan Straub Joyce Steiner Bill Magorian Steve and Denise Andersen Cody Prouty John Carrier Jim Paulson Jean Herrera Linda Raby Cathy Cooper In April, we received the good and surprising news that our church won an honorable mention award in the Interfaith Power and Light national competition for “cool congregations.” Thanks to Lori Prouty for completing the application for this competition. Offerings are coming in as expected. Thank you to Our Oregon Interfaith Power and Light team sent out this message: Rummage Sale Income: We raised over $800 at Please join with OIPL in celebrating two Oregon congregations that were recognized today through Interfaith Power and Light's Cool Congregations Program. First United Methodist Church, Eugene, OR, was a runner up (tie with Temple Beth Elohim in Wellesly,MA) in the Energy Efficiency category, and Clackamas United Church of Christ, Milwaukie, OR received the Sacred Grounds Steward Honorable Mention. OIPL has worked with both congregations over the years and we are glad to see them get national recognition for their excellent work in caring for creation! Thank you for your example to us all. -The OIPL Team We won the recognition in the Sacred Grounds Steward category for our work with the rain garden and hedgerow. This shows how teamwork can achieve great things for the sake of our planet Earth. Thanks to everyone who has participated in our earthy friendly endeavors at Clackamas UCC. We all can continue the good work. CUCC Financial Report everyone. You are a blessing to your church. the Spring Rummage. Thanks so much to Joyce Steiner and Janice Straub for coordinating this fundraiser. They also want to thank everyone who volunteered at this event and all those who donated items & baked goods. Next year we could use lots more baked goods. We sold out!! Our Children’s Club picked up the leftover rummage for their programs. Per Capita is a denominational dues that we pay per member at Clackamas UCC. It’s $13/person, and we ask members to pay that. Just make sure that you designate your dues check as per capita. Thanks. OGHS – Clackamas UCC collected $680 for One Great Hour of Sharing. One Great Hour of Sharing is a Christian effort to empower, provide water, supply food, and give relief from disasters. Funds at this time are being directed toward the earthquake in Nepal. Your donations are making a difference! Building Use Note: Please remember to promote our site for folks looking for a 2015 event setting. Fred Meyer Community Rewards Program The Kroger Family of Stores supports our local community. One of the ways they do this is through the Community Rewards Program of Fred Meyer. Clackamas UCC is part of this rewards program. Visit their website and signup to support Clackamas UCC at www.fredmeyer.com/communityrewards. Clackamas Women’s Services 30/30 Event a Great Success!! nings to sponsor a camper at Camp Hope. Congratulations to her – we hope that it helps kick off a summer of fun! Speaking of summer fun, I really want to thank you all for the incredible show of support during our special appeal. Guests pledged more than $11,000 - enough to send 40 children to Camp HOPE Oregon this summer! As Tonia and Dave Hunt explained so eloquently, Camp HOPE will help give campers the playful, lighthearted experiences that every child deserves. For children who have often have to take on adult cares & responsibilities, these experiences are key to a brighter future. And those bright futures are part of CWS’ vision for the next 30 years. Suzanne Lacampagne (Board President of CWS) enjoys the event with her daughter Julia and both Julia’s grandmothers. From the Blog By Chris Wilhite Even perfect vision couldn’t have prepared us for how much fun we would have at April 23rd‘s event! I’m still energized by the excitement of celebrating CWS’ 30th spring at the Foundry. Further, thanks to the generous support of our guests, 30/30 Vision raised $20,000 for CWS. On behalf of our staff and Board of Directors, I offer my thanks to those who could join us last Thursday at the Foundry in Lake Oswego, as well as our sponsors and volunteers. Whether you were able to attend or not, we hope you’ll help keep the celebration going by marking your calendars for our 30th Anniversary Gala on October 17! We had a blast exploring the world of Clackamas Women’s Services. Six stations represented some of the vital, innovative services that CWS offers in the community, from Camp HOPE Oregon to our Violence Prevention Program. We also had a fabulous time with the 50/50 raffle. Our valiant raffle volunteer was unspooling tickets all night long, and guests were spotted wearing long loops of raffle tickets. What could be more festive? After some serious suspense, Rev. Denise Andersen emerged as the winner of the 50/50 Raffle, taking home 50% of the pot, a cool $500. Denise used most of her win- Lori Prouty and Julia Sutton at the Clackamas Women’s Services 30/30 Fundraiser. Julia will be a camp counselor at CWS’s Camp Hope this summer in Welches, OR. Camp Hope offers a great opportunity for kids from homes suffering under the struggles of domestic violence to just have fun! Easter 2015 at Clackamas UCC Barbara Williams and her daughter Loreena enjoy a lovely Easter breakfast in Fellowship Hall. Easter Sunday was a wonderful day at Clackamas UCC. The morning began with an Easter breakfast provided by our Deacons under the leadership of Cathy Cooper. The celebrative worship service was enhanced by Jean Herrera and our choir’s musical leadership. Thanks to all who made our Easter a joy!! Thanks to Lori Prouty for putting together an Easter visual presentation, and to Cody for running the equipment for us. Lori also coordinated the after worship Easter egg hunt. Thanks to Julia, Trey, Erik, Edson and Maximilliano for hiding the Easter eggs! We currently have 5 active public Facebook pages CPC, Justice and Witness, Local Church, and CPC Annual Meeting (links below). Our CPC “Unity & Diversity” evangelist, Gracie the elephant puppet, also has her own Facebook page – Gracie On the Way! This article is adapted from a workshop presented by the Central Pacific Conference of the UCC’s Conference Minister – Walter John Boris - at the recent social media and the church event in Portland. Why should the church bother with Social Media? One of the primary jobs of the Church is to share the Gospel, the Good News. Through the years, Christians learned to tell the story in the dominant language of the times … Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, Latin. The Protestant Reformation was all about telling the story in the vernacular, the language of the people. One of the primary languages of our time is digital – computers, smart phones, and the internet. If we want to be the voice of Jesus in today’s world, we need to learn to speak “Social Media.” One of the fabulous things about digital storytelling is, it’s multimedia. Think medieval “mystery plays” – movement, song, and story. Social Media is words, music, pictures, and video. Is Social Media preaching, pastoral care, community building, or just marketing? Facebook (and all Social Media) is a little bit of all these things. We believe that we have an outstanding product – unconditional love! To make that love available for those who are yearning, we have to convince people we have something worthwhile to share. It’s about Relationships – and that’s the bottom line for Social Media! Breaking the Best Kept Secret – “Like” * Comment * Share * Invite! We’ve all said it, “The UCC is the best kept secret…if only people knew there is a church like us!” There’s plenty of truth to the cliché. Today’s “spiritual-butnot-religious” are still looking for a sense of belonging and a purpose in life. Our inclusive, extravagant welcome and our focus on making a difference in the world by working for social justice are exactly what many un-churched folks are looking for. If only they knew about us…. So, if people are looking for a place like us, but don’t know we exist, and our members are reluctant to invite their friends, much less total strangers, what can we do? Most new members report that they found their church on the internet. Which brings me to my point – Social Media. I’m convinced that Social Media–Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and more will be increasingly important as a way for people to find our churches. 1. Central Pacific Conference General Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/CentralPacificConferenceUCC 2. 2014 Central Pacific Conference of the UCC Annual Meeting: https://www.facebook.com/CPCUCCAnnualMeeting 3. Justice and Witness Ministry Team: https://www.facebook.com/CPCUCCJusticeandWitness 4) Local Church Ministry Team: https://www.facebook.com/LocalChurchMinistryCPCUCC 5) Walter John Boris: https://www.facebook.com/wjboris 6) Gracie On the Way: https://www.facebook.com/GracieOnTheWay?fref=ts I read two Facebook articles that I recently posted to our Local Church – CPC page: I Liked Everything I Saw on Facebook for Two Days. Here’s What It Did to Me by Mat Honan and I Quit Liking Things On Facebook for Two Weeks. Here’s How It Changed My View of Humanity by Elan Morgan (Schmutzie). COMMENT on posts to our CPC Facebook pages. If you really want to emphasize the “social” in Social Media, then comment on the CPC posts you read. Let your voice be heard. Be part of the conversation. That’s what covenant community is all about. We learn from each other by listening and sharing our unique voice. Comment. Comment. Comment. SHARE the CPC posts that you find valuable. INVITE. After you’ve “Liked” a CPC page, you can invite others to also “Like” the page. I consider this Digital Evangelism!! You are sharing Good News – about Extravagant Love and Social Justice. This is about belonging & finding meaning. You don’t know what soil is ready to nurture the seeds. It’s your job to do the planting! What would Jesus say about “Social Media?” I suspect he’d have a provocative Facebook page, be a prolific “Tweeter” challenging injustice, and convey profound and illustrated thoughts on Instagram. We need to take advantage of contemporary communications technology as we follow Jesus, “On the Way.” Find Clackamas UCC on Facebook at facebook.com/ClackamasUnitedChurchofChrist?ref=hl Calendar Sundays at Clackamas UCC Bible Study 9:20-10:10 in Fellowship Hall Worship - 10:30 in the Sanctuary During Worship - Youth Are Dismissed for Activities Wednesdays at Clackamas UCC Ascension Sunday Sunday, May 17th Focus: Art as Prayer. We’ll learn about theologian/artist Tobi Kahn & see some of his work. Don’t miss this fun & inspirational Sunday. Women’s Circle – 10:00 – 1:00 Choir – Wednesdays from 6:50 – 8:00 Council meets after worship. Saturday, May 2nd – Lots Going On Today! Monday, May 18th – Art & Spirit Circle. 7pm at the church. Dessert/Beverages provided. $5.00 for this month’s garden art project. Beginning at 9:00am – Outdoor Work Day We will weed and replant some ailing plants in the hedgerow & rain garden. Then from 4:00 – 7:00pm ~ Garden of Hope The Annual Fundraiser for King's Cupboard Food Pantry will be going on at King of King’s Lutheran Church. Tickets are $10/door. $25/Family Sun., May 3rd Prayer Service for Nepal. Saturday, May 23rd – 1st Annual Spring Fling Benefit for NAMI, Clackamas Women’s Services & A Village for One. Dinner 5 – 9pm, Dancing to Music by Taska – 7 to 10 pm. $22 Tickets available at springflingbenefit.myevent.com. For more info, See Judy Penny. This event is sponsored by the Milwaukie Elks Lodge and the Portland Metro Rotary Club. Sunday, May 24th Pentecost Sunday 55+ Gathering at Rev. Denise Andersen’s. 5610 SE Aldercrest Rd., Milwaukie. Lunch will be provided. Carpooling is recommended. 11:30 am. All Church Book Discussion After Worship in the Narthex. Book: Convictions by Marcus Borg. All are welcome. June Newsletter Deadline Today. Wednesday, May 6th – 6:00 – 8:30 pm - Palestinian Sunday, May 31st – What does it mean to Wednesday, May 6th – Young at Hearts Lunch YMCA Director – Mira Rizeq – speaks at a dinner at Clackamas UCC. No cost. Please join us. She’s also speaking on May 7th at Bethel UCC Beaverton. be a Just Peace Church/Open & Affirming & Multi-cultural? The worship theme is revisiting our church’s identity. Congregational Meeting & Potluck. Sunday, May 10th – Mother’s Day 9:30 – Complimentary Continental Breakfast before worship. No Bible Study today. 11th Monday Night, May – Art Buck’s Memorial Dinner at Terwilliger Plaza. 6:00pm – Potluck. Wine, beverages and paper goods provided. RSVP’s to Rev. Denise Andersen. Saturday, May 16th – CPCUCC Women’s Annual Meeting. Bethel Congregational UCC in Beaverton. 11:30 Registration. Noon Lunch - $10. 1:15 Program: Operation Nightwatch & Street Roots. RSVP by May 8th to Rev. Denise. Friday Evening, June 5th – Pacific Island Night 5:30 – 8:00. At Clackamas UCC. Dinner - Silent & Live Auction! Music by Al Morales Gary McClain - Auctioneer $20/Adults $10/Students $7/ 12 & Under Menu: Glazed Chicken, Pulled Pork, Salad, Hawaiian Macaroni Salad, Pineapple Upside Down Cake, Macaroons, Tropical Drinks, Coffee, Tea NEEDED: Auction Items! See Lori Prouty.
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